| Motto | Latin: Sic Itur Ad Astra Such is the path to the stars |
|---|---|
| Established | 1801 |
| Headteacher | Mr David Barnett |
| Location | Morriston Road Elgin Moray IV30 4ND Scotland |
| Local authority | Moray |
| Staff | 79.9[1] |
| Students | 976 (2011) |
| Colours | Black, Navy and Red |
| Website | Elgin Academy |
Elgin Academy is a secondary school in the city of Elgin, Moray, Scotland.
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Pupils at Elgin Academy are in years S1 to S6. Most arrive in first year (S1) from one of the nearby primary schools, which include Bishopmill Primary, West End Primary, East End Primary, Seafield Primary and St Sylvesters, to name but a few. Other pupils arrive in later years, mainly because of the nearby Royal Air Force base at Lossiemouth.
Elgin Academy is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, with a history going back to the Middle Ages. The first school was built on the adjacent corners of Academy Street and Francis Place, now the site of the local youth cafe. The second academy, built in 1801, is now Moray College.[2]
The current Elgin Academy, on Morriston Road, was built in the late 1960s. Plans to merge it with Elgin High School were canceled by public demand. A new school, built under PPP, is scheduled to open in February 2012.[1]
At Elgin Academy, SQA Standard Grades are nearly always sat in S4 after two years' work. Standard Grades will however be phased out in the future and be replaced by the National Qualifications 4 and 5, details of which are still being resolved by SQA.
The school has a wide range of Intermediate 1 and 2 and Access courses available from 3rd through to 6th year students.
These exams are undertaken by 5th or 6th year pupils after one year's work.
These courses run depending on interest and numbers of pupils. They run for one year for 6th year pupils
Years S1, S2 and S3 partake in three days of activities, some of which take place abroad, each May during the exam period while S4-S6 are on study leave from the school. There are trips to Edinburgh and London and abroad to places which range from France, Holland, Germany and Belgium. Other activities take place in and around Elgin and Moray such as quad-biking, archery, golf, fishing and more.
The current Academy was built in 1967. It comprises several areas. It is to be replaced with a new one which can be seen at http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file61992.pdf. Building work is expected to start at Easter 2010 and to finish in 2012.[3]
The Tower Block is currently the tallest building in Moray and comprises seven floors with "The A Floor" being the lowest level and "The F Floor" being the highest. Each floor in the tower block is dedicated to a particular subject, except "A" which contains a variety of subjects such as Biology, Computing, Business Management and Home Economics. The school library is also situated on the A floor, and access to the Physical Education department can be found here as well.
There is also a station on top of the tower block which is used mainly by the Geography department to study the weather and other geological factors. This is no longer used due to health and safety reasons and due to a group of former pupils who threw a dummy from the top as a sixth year leaving day prank which resulted in the librarian collapsing as the dummy smashed through the safety glass window.
The X floor is situated below the Y floor. English, Modern Languages and the Support for Learning base are housed on the X floor, while Maths and Social Sciences (History, Geography and Modern Studies) are located on the Y floor. The staff room can be also accessed from the X floor.
The X floor is on the same level as the Assembly Hall and Reception but is raised off the ground on large "stilts". The section under the X&Y floors has been, for decades, colloquially called "The Skins" and "The scoobs".
The basement is not, as its name suggests, situated underground. It houses the two common rooms - one for S6 and another for S5 - and are used purely for social purposes at lunchtime, at interval, before and after school. They house lockers for both years. Access to these rooms requires a deposit by the two year groups, which is usually refunded at the end of the year if no damage to the rooms has been caused. The basement also houses the First Aid room and School Nurse's (Mr. Mark Swinglehirst) room. It also contains the office of Deputy Head Teacher, Mrs Dempsey as well as the entrance/exit door for S5/6.
The Elgin Academy Awards Ceremony is held annually at the beginning of the last week of term before the summer holidays begin.
The school has many sporting organisations and teams, including: Badminton, Football, Hockey, Table Tennis and Volleyball.
In 1991 Cameron Bruce, Andrew Goodall, Sandy Scott and David Bryce won both gold in the Medley and Freestyle relays at the Scottish Schools Swimming Open Finals.